'It wasn't just Dessie I ran that amount of times - we got on and ran them all'

At the time of his retirement in 1991, Desert Orchid was a horse everyone could relate to. He had never been wrapped in cotton wool, with his connections always looking for a reason to run him rather than waiting for another day.

Between the ages of four and 12 he ran on 70 occasions over jumps, winning 34 times over trips ranging from two miles to three miles five furlongs. The ground was never a factor, evidenced by 13 runs on going with the word firm in the description and six more on heavy, and it was not all about Graded races either.

Desert Orchid was just as likely to be seen lumping top weight in races like the Tingle Creek or Victor Chandler Chase – both handicaps in his day – while he conceded 2st to 12 of his 13 rivals when winning the 1990 Irish Grand National by 12 lengths.